Chapter 3
The bar was a little, homey place that the staff would meet at regularly. The running joke at the institute was that Felipe’s Bar and Grill was just a craft services booth for the company. It was a great place to meet up and drink your research problems away. If only Kelley could muster up the courage to ask Felipe out. He was an Italian gentleman in his late forties, and he had a way with food that left everyone falling over themselves to compliment his cooking. Whether he was mixing his signature drinks, or preparing some kind of grilled sandwich, Felipe was the guy to go to after a long day at the office.
“Kelley! My little golden-haired beauty! How have things been?” He shouted to her over the din of the bustling restaurant. He wiped his hands on a maroon lap apron and came around the counter to hug her. His hugs also were world famous. His big arms encircled her like thick, braided ropes as he squeezed her tight. His cologne was the thing of legends. A local food critic once blasted him for wearing so much that he seemed to linger in a room ten minutes after he had actually left. Everyone thought that was a funny thing to mention, especially when his food still got rave reviews from the same critic. Kelley liked it none the less. She loved smelling of him long after he was done squeezing her like an empty toothpaste tube.
“You know, you keep flirting with me like this, and I'll have no choice but to kidnap you for my own uses.” She said, as she squeezed him back as hard as she could. They had developed a sort of mock-sexual harassment ethic that made bystanders uncomfortable. They both got a big kick out if it though.
“Ah Kelley, you can't kidnap the willing!” He rebutted, breaking the long hug to attend to his many customers.
Kelley grabbed a booth in the corner. As she sat down and straightened her skirt underneath her, she propped up Caleb's text unit to take in the surroundings. Their minimal communication would be limited to the occasional text-speak until Kelley was back at the lab again. She looked up and gave an enthusiastic wave to Spencer and Ashley.
“Hey girl! You actually beat us here for once. You must either be out of stuff to do, or you're really in need of a drink.” She teased.
Kelly gave Ashley a friendly peck on her cheek while Spencer watched on nervously. She loved messing with him like this, as she considered it her job to help him out of his little, introverted shell. Spencer was wearing a knitted sweater that looked like it was from the Goodwill rejection pile. He was such the quintessential nerd that it was hard to tell if he was actually thru and thru, or just being ironic. He was a sweetheart nonetheless, and she loved talking with him like a true friend.
“Hey Spence, how's life with the other taggers treating you?” Kelley ribbed playfully. The “taggers” were so-called because of the large, garish security tags that got them into their different parts of the institute. The tags were made to be very visible to security, and as such had become a source of derision by the wearers. The “White Coats” had their names embroidered on the aforementioned coat, and did not need ant sort of tag due to their almost unlimited access to the whole facility.
“Ugh, horrible. I'll be glad when my internship is over and I can be done with my master's. One more year!” He said, punctuating his statement with a halfhearted fist pump. Ashley could only laugh at his grumpy, Eeyore-like attitude.
“Oh please Spence! If you can't be happy here, what makes you think you can be happy anywhere else?” She chided.
They both sat down and scooched closer to hear one-another over the din of the crowded restaurant.
“So, I've got this ex-roommate that says he's been talking with your friend Caleb.” Spencer said.
Kelley raised an eye brow at this new information. “Really? What is it that your ex-roommate does for a living?”
Spencer handed a bowl of peanuts over to Ashley before taking a handful of his own. “He was a few years ahead of me. He was finishing up his post grad work on regenerative medicine. Stem cell stuff...,” He said, as he popped a few nuts in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “He said that Caleb has been sending him terabytes of data relating to something he wants done at his research institute in Costa Rica.”
“What's your friend's name?” She asked him.
“Evan. Evan Nicolas. He's a PhD in genetics and bio tech. He works for some kind of pseudo-government semi-private research center. I guess the stuff he is doing there is really ground breaking. You'll have to talk with him. All the stuff he does is way over my head. I'll send you his emails, and you can talk with him directly.” Spencer said with a dismissive shrug, as he finished the last of his nuts.
Kelley looked at the text unit where Caleb resided. She knew he had heard the entire conversation, and she was surprised to see him showing nothing but a smiley face emoticon.
She narrowed her eyes at his camera and said, “We'll talk about this later.” In a mocking, authoritative voice. Truth be told, she was happy to hear that he was pursuing research autonomously. She just wished she knew what he was researching.
Ashley clapped her hands quickly to break her out of her introspection. “Alright, enough nerd talk! How did your meeting go with your dreamy ex-boyfriend?”
Kelley rolled her eyes and said, “You know, with the stuff I let that guy do to me, you'd think he would at least give me some wiggle room on my funding.” She flashed an apologetic smile to Spencer, as his cheeks turned the reddest shade she had ever seen! “Sorry!” She said meekly.
Just then, Spencer saw some of the other male taggers come up to the bar. “No worries. You girls continue on. I'm gonna talk with the guys.”
“Fair enough. See ya Spence!” Ashley said with a small wave.
Her gaze turned back to Kelley once he was out of earshot. “Really? Like, what kind of stuff?” Her bright blue eyes were locked on Kelly like a tracking device, as she awaited all of the details.
Kelley sighed melodramatically and said, “Ash, we've been over this before. It was just the usual gross, male fantasy stuff.” She said with a shrug.
“I know, I just like to watch you squirm when I bring it up.” She said with a giggle.
“Funny, very funny.” Kelley said. She felt her phone buzz twice. She gave Ashley an apologetic look while she unlocked the screen to see the messages. She had been courting a smaller funding source that may be able to help with Caleb's project costs, but it was the longest of long shots. There was a trail of new messages forwarded from Spencer. It was all relating to his friend Evan in Costa Rica. Surprisingly enough, there was also a message from Evan as well! Wow, he works fast...
Evan Nicolas:
Hi Kelley! I'm glad Spencer finally gave me your contact info. As he may have told you, your friend “Caleb”had been sending me tons of data relating to a project that he wants me to participate in. If Spencer hasn't told you what I do yet, it's regenerative medicine. I work at the Genetitech Institute for Regenerative Medicine. My work is somewhat hush hush, and I can only tell you so much, but I basically study the regrowth of damaged human tissue. The copious amounts of data that Caleb has been sending me could be used to really advance the field. I have to talk with you over the phone about the rest of what he sent me, as I would not be permitted by the institute to speak about it over email. If you could give me a call, that would be best. Don't worry about time differences. I don't sleep much, and I am really excited to be working with you and Caleb in this new venture!
Evan Nicolas, PhD
Kelley locked her phone and put it back in her purse. While she reached over to take her drink from Felipe, she continued to mull over what Evan had said. New venture? Did he mean that his institute would be picking up Caleb's project? While she stirred her Bloody Mary, she tried to think of what it was that Caleb had sent to the good Dr. Nicolas.
“So, how's things on the boyfriend front? Any new prospects?” Ashley asked, shaking Kelley out of her ritualistic stirring.
She took a bite of the tiny celery stalk in her drink. After chewing, she said, “Nope. I'm so off of guys right now, it's a
lmost comical. The only guys you can date when you have my hours are other researchers, or bums with no job. Other than that, there's just no time. Charlie was the exception, and you see how that turned out!” She laughed, as Ashley reached over to grab her hand.
“Girl, you'll find somebody. Hey, maybe having Caleb's funding pulled would be a sort of good thing. It'll give you a chance to work less, and get outside more often.” Ashley joked, proving her point by raising the short sleeve on Kelley's top to reveal her alabaster-white skin.
“Oh very funny!” She said, brushing away Ashley's hand to pull her sleeve back down. “You know, Caleb can hear and understand everything you're saying.”
Right on cue, there was a bright red LED light that began to glow on top of his texting unit. Ashley gave it a dismissive wave.
“Sorry Caleb. You know I love you buddy.” She chided playfully, as she sipped on her margarita.
Kelley gave Caleb an apologetic shrug, and she and Ashley finished up their drinks. Since she didn't have a designated driver, she would have to keep it to one. It was better that way. She really wanted to get home and give Dr. Nicolas a call about this thing Caleb had been working on.
After saying goodbye to Ashley, Spencer, and the rest of the crew that had accumulated at Felipe's, she made her way to her apartment. It was a beautiful Spanish villa-style building with a large central courtyard. She was ecstatic when she was approved to rent here, especially since her credit had taken such a hit from all of her student debt. By her figures, she would paying that down well into her forties. That recollection brought on a heavy sigh, as she turned the key to her door. After plopping down on the couch, she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her.
She had shut off Caleb's portable texting unit. It was their rule; she needed time alone, and Caleb also needed time to do his autonomous prowling for data. As she rubbed her sore neck, she took out her phone and eyed the email from Evan one more time. What time was it in Costa Rica?
She dialed his number. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. So loudly, that she could swear that whomever picked up on the other line would be able to her it's drumming rapport. There was a few clicks, and after a few seconds the phone began it's usual ring. He picked up on the second ring. By the sound of it, she had woke him from a sound sleep.
“Ahem, uh hello? This is Dr. Evan Nicolas.” He said. His voice was deep and smooth. He sounded to be about the same age as her, and she found herself now wondering why she had not bothered to Google stalk him prior to calling.
“Hi Dr. Nicolas, this is Kelley Stewart, the girl with the Caleb project?” She offered meekly. If he indeed didn't sleep much, she really felt bad for waking him up.
His groggy demeanor seemed to vanish instantly. She could hear him stumbling over things on his side of the phone call. Right now, she was worried about how much this call was going to cost her...
“Kelley! Oh my God! I'm so glad you called!” There was more stumbling and other assorted noises on his side. Kelley was now perplexed as to what he was doing that was causing all the noise.
“Hey, we should do this over Skype. The phone bill for this call would be enormous!” He said with an awkward laugh.
The two exchanged info, and Kelley struggled to remember the login and username as she opened her laptop.
After the start up, she waited for his notification. Her heart was really hammering in her chest now! It was bad enough that she tended to be shy and introverted by nature. Now, she finds out that the stodgy professor type of guy that she though Evan was is actually about her age. Not to mention that fact that he sounded like a piece of first rate man candy!
Before she could really straighten herself up, his image blinked on the screen. In her dimly lit apartment, she had secretly hoped that her blushing cheeks were not too noticeable! He was as beautiful as he sounded. He had dark brown hair that was mussed up from being recently asleep. His tan complexion accentuated his blue eyes, and he had strong, chiseled facial features. His five o'clock shadow was just barely visible, as his room was just as dark as hers was. He looked to be in great shape. His tight fitting t shirt showed off his lean, muscular build. He had defined upper arms, and strong shoulders. He was in good shape, but not too big or muscular. His room was amazing! It looked as if money wasn't as much of a problem for him, as the view from his webcam looked like an Ethan Allan commercial.
“Uh, hello? Kelley? Can you hear me alright?” He said. That deep voice of his was even more incensing when it was attached to such a beautiful image.
“Yeah..., yes I can hear you. What time is it there?” She asked apologetically.
He ran a hand through his hair, only now becoming conscious of how mess up it was. “A little before one AM. It's no big deal though. How are you? I have so much to discuss about what your AI has been giving me. Uh, do you just call him Caleb? That's how he's been referring to himself.” He said with an almost child-like amount of excitement.
Kelley automatically ran a hand through her straight hair too. She watched Evan as he took in her image. Messing with her hair was an automatic flirting gesture, and she didn't even mean to do it. Now, he was watching her with a different kind of youthful enthusiasm. “Yes, I have been calling him that for about five years now.” She responded finally.
“Well, to make a long story short, I work in tissue regrowth and regeneration. The work I do is somewhat classified, but not in the sense that I do it for the government or anything. I work for a private research firm that is backed and funded by Genetitech, Inc. You may have heard of them. Anyway, Caleb began sending me tons of data from his own personal research. The things he has been working up have been astounding! I mean, he's breaking through boundaries that we have just started to chip away at. He devised a way to regrow nerve tissue. We haven't been able to do that. At all. He showed me a way to do it at amazing speed. Kelley, he was able to save a little girl's ability to walk with his science. He showed me the right formulas and sequences to grow the tissue to save her spinal cord. Now, she's a happy, healthy seven year old girl. I never would have been able to do it without Caleb.” He said, finishing his long-winded revelation with a comical exhale.
Kelley felt a welling of pride at the realization that Caleb had used his vast amounts of knowledge to help a little girl. She never knew that he had the capacity for that much empathy. “Okay, so answer me this. Why is it you decided to contact me through Spencer? Why not just contact me directly?”
“Well, because the science behind what Caleb showed me was so advanced, I didn't know what to make of it. He had claimed that he was an AI, but my only method of communicating with him was through email. I thought I was being punked by some high level stem cell specialist in my field.” He said with a shy smile. “I did a little online stalking, and I was able to verify that I knew somebody else that worked at the same research institute as you. Once I made contact with Spencer, he was able to verify that you were a real human, and this all wasn't' some cruel joke.”
Kelley knew a little about biotechnology, but most of her coursework in school focused on programming and software technology. She felt a little out of her element, and hoped that Evan would be informative without being too condescending. “So, regrowing part of a spinal cord is a big deal?”
“Oh yes, very much so! It's right up there with figuring out cold fusion, or a cure for cancer. One thing that regenerative medicine hasn't been able to do is reproduce nerve tissue. That is exactly what the spinal cord is. Not to mention the fact that he developed a way to actually patch a damaged portion of it. It's really amazing! I can't even really take credit for it, due to the fact that all the work was done by Caleb. He showed me the vat times, the schematics for tissue scaffolds, everything. It was all his doing. I was just the physical means to perform the actual lab growth. You should really be proud of him.” He said.
“I am, I guess. I mean, this is all so surprising. I didn't even know he was doing this. I will be having a very lo
ng talk with him when we're done here.” She said.
Evan smiled at the thought of getting a non-existent entity in trouble. “Well, the reason he showed me the spinal cord data was that he wanted to make me aware of the abilities that he had. He was prepping me for his next project.”
“Oh?” Kelley asked. “And what would that be?”
He ran his hand through his hair one more time. Kelley could sense that he was trying to figure out what to say next, or how to say it. “Well, here's the thing. Caleb has developed a way to use the equipment here in my lab to, um, make himself a reality. Or, make himself into real person from scratch, as you might say.”
Kelley felt her mouth fall open. Now she knew somebody was messing with her! She looked around her apartment for hidden cameras. “Okay, very funny! Did Spencer put you up to this because I wouldn't go out with him?”
“No, I promise you. This is completely legitimate. In fact, I have arranged for you to come down here to partake in the actual process. I don't think you understand the ramifications of this. You have created an artificial being, and that being has undertaken a way to make himself a real human being. This is incredibly important to mankind, and to the world as as whole-”
Kelley held up her hand to the monitor. The phrase 'talk to the hand' came to mind, as she tried to gain her footing in this tumultuous chain of events. “Whoa! Caleb started out as a free standing AI that was intended to be utilitarian and service-oriented. He was never meant to be a free thinking entity. Are you telling me that he gathered up enough data to make him out of stem cells and stuff? How would that even work? It would take years just to grow something human-shaped. Not to mention that fact that whatever did grow in that 'vat' of yours would need to learn how to walk, talk, eat-”
“I assure you, he has that all figured out.” Evan intoned quickly, before he was cut off again. “You really aren't grasping the gravity of this. Caleb found a way around all of that. I will only be using stem cells for the initial catalyst. After that, he has a special amino branching compound that he formulated that will do the rest.”
Kelley rubbed the bridge of her nose slowly. She was more tired than she could ever remember, and she now had to deal with the fact that Caleb was trying his best to prove his worthiness to the world by creating a real version of himself. She still didn't understand the ways that he would use to do it, but it wouldn't be the first time he had done something above and beyond her expectations. With his funding almost certainly going away in a month, she needed a way to make everyone see his value.
“Okay.” She said quietly, raising her eyes to meet Evan's in their respective, darkened bedrooms.
He gave he a puzzled look. “Okay...what?”
“Whatever it is that Caleb has arranged with you, apparently behind my back, I agree. Besides, his project funding is getting pulled in a month, so I need some way to prove his usefulness to the higher-ups at DARPA.”
A look of utter relief crept across Evan’s face. “Oh that's great Kelley! I'm so glad you're on board with this. Also, funding shouldn’t be an issue. The institute here wants to take on the entire project, and its costs, to see that Caleb is able to fulfill his ambitions. The whole team here is very excited with the idea of working with you.”
His beaming enthusiasm was contagious, and Kelley couldn't help but offer a happy little to smirk to Evan. The thought of Caleb's project getting funded, without headaches, was almost enough to make her do a happy dance in front of the computer.
“I have taken the liberty of writing up a proposal to have Caleb's project transferred to the Genetitech facility here in San Jose. The chairman at our institute used to go to school with the Head of Technology and Design at yours, so the transfer should go off without a hitch. Kelley, I can't tell you how excited I am to be working with you! You're going to love Costa Rica! It's warm and sunny. The weather is great, and the scenery is top notch. I hope you have some bathing suits to pack!” He said, as he closed out the connection and left Kelley sitting in her dark bedroom.
Her mind was still swirling as she thought through all of the things she would have to prepare to make a move down there. The thought of her Caleb as a lab-grown human was both exciting and frightening at the same time.
Breaking their evening rule, Kelley took out Caleb's mobile communications tablet and turned it on. She waited while the device started up, and was greeted with Caleb's image while a line of text messages ran over the top.
Kelley: It looks like you've been a busy little bee Caleb.
Caleb: I'm sorry Kelly, but I could not have told you before the arrangements were in place. I was not expecting him to tell you directly, as I was hoping to do it next week. I'm glad you are not angry though.
Kelley: Who said I wasn't angry? :/
Caleb: I just know. It was a supposition based on my assessment of your behaviors and mannerisms. I was able to, more or less calculate your response based on past responses. I still don't understand why popular culture says that women are hard to figure out. It's just a matter of doing what makes you happy.
Kelley couldn't help but giggle at Caleb's simplistic logic regarding a woman's emotions.
Kelley: It's not that simple, but you're on the right track : ) Also, how is this vat growth thing going to work? It looks like you know something that nobody else does.
Caleb: I will describe it now. The one limiting factor is that I will not be able to communicate with you during the one month process. While that is going on, I will be using the supercomputers at the Genetitech research facility to build up an enhanced human DNA sequence. Then, that sequence will be “post processed” into an encoded RF signal that will control a catalyzing bath of stem cells. After that, it's just a matter of pumping in the right amino acids to make the growth phase finish out. The great thing is, mankind will be able to use the data from the process to help others. And you and I will be the ones who did it! This will be great for both of us!
Kelley: That's nice and all, but what about when we go back to the USA, and I've got a whole other person with me that didn't exist before. I don't think they're going to let you ride in my carry-on luggage : )
Caleb: I have been figuring those contingencies out as well. I will have both an identity, and a means to support myself, once the project is finished. You will have to trust me, as some of these things I cannot divulge until we are closer to the finish. Do you trust me?
She had to ponder that. What had he worked out that gave him both an identity, and a means of making money?
Caleb: Are you there? Do you trust me?
Kelley: It looks like I have no choice.